Introducing the Members of the 2023 Playwrights Cohort at PlayPenn
Alison Scaramella, Ang Bey, August Hakvaag, Bastion Carboni, Catherine Weingarten, Dave Ebersole, Dylan Lewis, Gabriella Balsam, Geo Decas O'Donnell, Griffin Horn, Jacob Cowan, Jeffrey James Keyes, Julie Zaffarano, Keenya Jackson, Leon Jackson Davenport, Marjorie Bicknell, Matthew Sekellick, Megan Schumacher, Michael Serratore, Michelle Pauls, Monica Flory, Nimisha Ladva, Rodrick Edwards, Rodrick Edwards, Rose Farrell, Santi Castro, Sheridan Merrick, Siddarth Anand, Steven Goldman, Toby Inoue, and Will Vence Jr.
The Playwrights Cohort at PlayPenn is a year-long professional development program open to emerging Philadelphia playwrights and focuses on navigating the industry. Every month experts in their sector will engage the cohort on subjects such as entertainment law, building a portfolio, finding representation, having agency in the rehearsal room, managing personal finances and more. The Cohort operates on a hybrid model, holding monthly meetings in person and online.
Cohort members meet with PlayPenn collaborators and guest professionals for 12 career developmental sessions throughout the year. Sessions are in the hybrid model, with digital and in-person sessions on topics including: Entertainment Law, Finances for Freelancers, Representation, Promoting Work, Agency in the Rehearsal Room, and Development Opportunities.
CRITERIA TO JOIN THE PLAYWRIGHTS COHORT!
Application to this program is for Philadelphia-based emerging playwrights who are not enrolled as a student in an educational program, and who are committed to seeking the tools and resources important for taking control and gaining agency in all aspects of their career as a playwright navigating the theatre industry.
In order to apply you must meet the following criteria:
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Are not currently enrolled as a student in an education program (i.e. university, grad school, etc…)
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Have had no more than two full professional productions of your plays at professional theater companies. (We define full productions as having more than one performance, and having production elements such as costume design, set design, etc…)
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Must be based in Philadelphia. The parameters for this are broad and include writers who were born or/and raised in Philly, were educated there, or who at any time had an address within a thirty-mile radius of the city.
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Commit to participating in at least 10 out of 12 sessions. Individual session times will be TBA from May 2023 – May 2024.
Please Note: We want to encourage application to this cohort to playwrights who have historically been underrepresented – BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, women, people with disabilities. We recognize that there are groups who have been historically marginalized and underrepresented in the American theater. As a part of our core values, we “strive to remove all inequitable barriers that prevent people from fully engaging in the process.”
